FEMA to Transport Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Survivors to US Mainland

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

(CNN) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will help transport hurricane survivors from Puerto Rico to the continental United States, with priority given to approximately 3,000 people who are living in shelters, the agency said.

Hurricane survivors who want to temporarily relocate to the mainland, could end up in Florida or New York, as FEMA is working to establish agreements with both states. The two states were selected by Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello, according to FEMA.

The program he referred to is FEMA’s Transitional Shelter Assistance, which helps displaced residents find interim housing while they’re working to repair their homes. Lacking hotel rooms in Puerto Rico, the agency is asking hurricane survivors whether they wish to stay on the island or relocate temporarily to the mainland.

FEMA would pay for the flights to and from the mainland, CBS reported.

“So far, we’ve seen a very low level of interest to take advantage of that program,” Byrne told CBS. “Right now, just hundreds of people really — maybe even as low as dozens. We’re not seeing a great degree of interest.”

He noted that FEMA staff had interviewed about 300 families earlier this week, and only about 30 expressed interest.